Taking DHA improves memory

DHA omega-3 supplements improve memory by 20% in young healthy men and women, a new study reveals. The most significant improvements occur in those genetically more at risk of developing Alzheimer's. Taking DHA omega-3 supplements (docosahexaenoic acid) significantly improves working memory (short-term memory) in men and episodic memory in women young and in good health. The effectiveness of DHA omega-3 supplements in enhancing memory is surprisingly greater in individuals genetically predisposed to Alzheimer's. This was discovered by a study conducted by the University of New Zealand in collaboration with researchers from the Universities of West Anglia and Northumbria (UK), published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Omega 3 DHA and memory in young people, the study

The researchers, led by Dr. Welma Stonehouse, involved a sample of 176 young adults – aged between 18 and 45 years – all in good health and non-smokers. The participants were randomly selected and then divided into two groups according to the double-blind experimental method (neither the researchers nor the participants knew if they were taking DHA omega-3 capsules or a placebo). The first group took 1.16 g of DHA omega-3 supplements daily for six months, while the second group took a placebo. All of them previously followed a diet low in omega-3 fatty acids. During the experiment, the sample underwent a series of cognitive tests aimed at testing their memory abilities.

The surprising result

Taking DHA omega-3 supplements significantly improved memory performance. The study showed that DHA omega-3 acts differently on men and women. Men improved their short-term memory performance by 20% – which allows them to perform complex cognitive tasks – completing tasks 223 ms faster than their counterparts taking the placebo. Women showed benefits mainly in episodic memory, which refers to the conscious recall of personal past events and is a type of long-term memory. A good episodic memory is crucial for learning from mistakes, overcoming limitations, and achieving new goals.

The importance of genes

The researchers wanted to clarify the role of genes, particularly the apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotype. ApoE is one of the most important genetic risk factors for developing Alzheimer's. Carriers of its ApoE4 allele variant – about 25% of the white population – face a risk many times higher than the average. The working memory of ApoE4 carriers who took DHA omega-3 supplements improved similarly to the rest of the group, while ApoE4 carriers in the placebo group worsened, leading to a significant difference between the groups. This result was completely unexpected. The conclusions of the experiment allowed its coordinator to state that: For the first time, a study has shown that increasing DHA omega-3 intake enhances memory and reaction times in healthy young adults whose diet is low in omega-3 fatty acids, modulating the response based on sex. This discovery reinforces previous studies that demonstrated how omega-3 fatty acids protect the brain from early aging and potentially help prevent degenerative diseases likeAlzheimer's.

Among the supplements designed to combat these types of diseases is Omegor Mind, a dietary supplement based on Omega-3, and a standardized and patented extract of Bacopa monnieri - Bacomind® - with clinically proven efficacy, combined with omega-3 EPA and DHA fatty acids, omega-6 GLA, zinc, and B vitamins. In fact, Bacopa monnieri is a plant used for millennia in Ayurvedic medicine as a memory tonic.

Source: W. Stonehouse, C.A. Conlon, J. Podd, S.R. Hill, A.M. Minihane, C. Haskell, D. Kennedy et al. “DHA supplementation improved both memory and reaction times in healthy young adults: a randomized controlled trial” published on March 20 2013, doi: 10.3945/ajcn.112.053371, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition